Near East University Faculty of Agriculture Founding Dean Prof. Dr. Özge Özden attended the European Union Butterfly Monitoring Program Meeting held in Laufen, Germany, where 47 experts from 27 European Union countries came together. Also serving as the Cyprus Butterfly Observation Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Özden made a presentation about the current situation of butterflies in Cyprus at the meeting.

Cyprus Island is home to very precious butterfly species
Cyprus is one of the most important islands of the Mediterranean in terms of its geographical location, climate and vegetation. It is also home to very precious butterfly species with its rich flora. Recent scientific research reveals that there are a total of 56 butterfly species in Cyprus. Three of these species are endemic to the island. Cyprus Meadow Brown (Cyprus Meadow Brown), Paphos Blue (Paphos Blue) and Cyprus Red Angel (Cyprus Grayling) butterflies are found only on the island of Cyprus in the world.

Prof. Dr. Özge Özden: “More effective studies are needed in our country in order to better manage protected areas, identify new areas and finance well-planned restoration activities.”
Prof. Dr. Özge Özden, who is also the Deputy Director of the Cyprus Herbarium and Natural History Museum, said that at the meeting the EU Butterfly Monitoring Council called for monitoring pollinator insects to control policy effectiveness, especially in agriculture.

Emphasizing that pollinator insect populations in the world and EU countries, in general, are adversely affected by various human activities and that the habitat of many insects is shrinking, Prof. Özden said, “The European Union has announced that it is committed to improving the populations of pollinators, that is, pollinator insects, with the Biodiversity Strategy 2030 Target. In this context, more effective studies should be carried out in our country in order to better manage the Protected Areas (Special Environmental Protection Areas), identify new areas and finance well-planned restoration activities.

Reminding that the Butterfly Monitoring Program was initiated by the European Union in 2014, Prof. Dr.Özden said that information is collected annually in a central database and that this study is very important in terms of future nature conservation studies and biodiversity support studies. Prof. Özden also announced that they plan to develop cooperation on new projects with different scientists from Spain and Austria.